A Desperate Cry
Tae-hyun immediately understood what Lee Se-yeon was getting at. Although they had won this practice match, the truth was that it had been an absolute mess. First of all, Do Dong-su had completely ignored the other four and moved entirely on his own. He hadn't taken a single order, acting purely on his own whims!
To outside observers, it might have looked like a stable, calculated strategy of splitting into groups of two, two, and one. But in reality, it was nothing of the sort. The other teammates had simply adjusted their play to accommodate Do Dong-su's reckless behavior!
"We won easily this time because of the massive skill gap and the opponent's complete lack of response. But the teams we'll face in the main tournament will definitely study us. Naturally, they'll come up with a way to counter you too."
"Probably."
"And in the process, they'll obviously notice our strategy. They'll wonder why we always split into groups of two, two, and one."
"Can't be helped, can it? Do Dong-su won't listen."
"We have to make him listen."
"Are you asking me to persuade him?"
"...I have absolutely no intention of doing that."
Lee Se-yeon stared at Tae-hyun with a look that said, How could you even suggest that? If Tae-hyun went to talk to him, it would only drive a deeper wedge between them!
"Kim Chul-soo and I will try to persuade him. You don't have to do anything, so just stay still!"
Lee Se-yeon put heavy emphasis on the words "stay still." Please, just do nothing! Stop provoking him!
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Tae-hyun said nonchalantly, "Man, everyone's suffering because of one narrow-minded guy."
"That's because you beat him up so much...!"
"Hey, is this his first or second time doing PVP in Pan-On? That guy, Do Dong-su, is a Thief, yet he's so shameless. He must have done plenty of PVP himself. When he does it, it's fair play, but when he gets hit, it's a blood feud?"
"..."
Lee Se-yeon stared at Tae-hyun with a complicated expression. She had dug up and watched every single video related to Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1. Because of that, she fully understood why other players hated him to death. Honestly, it made sense!
Once a fight started, it didn't just end with a simple PVP match. If the opponent belonged to a guild, Tae-hyun would go to their guild's hunting grounds and wreak absolute havoc. If the opponent resurrected, he would hunt them down and force them into PVP again...
Once he started, he saw it through to the bitter end! That was Tae-hyun.
Do Dong-su was a Thief player, and Thieves did engage in PVP often. But Tae-hyun, who was a Blacksmith player, was on an entirely different level. The quality and quantity of his griefing were in a different dimension!
...But even if I tell him that, he won't listen!
Lee Se-yeon gave up on trying to convince him. It was pointless anyway. The important thing was to control the situation and make it flow according to her plans.
"Anyway, I'll handle it, so you just stay still."
"Got it. Staying still is what I do best."
"...And I feel like I've only said negative things, but today's match was actually quite good."
"What's this? All of a sudden? Do you want something from me?"
Tae-hyun shot her a wary look. Lee Se-yeon felt a surge of irritation. Talk about deep-rooted distrust!
Even when I'm complimenting him...!
When she showed kindness to others, they would bow their heads and say "Thank you," but Tae-hyun immediately suspected an ulterior motive.
Lee Se-yeon took a deep breath. Dealing with Tae-hyun always required patience.
"I'm saying it because it really was good. If we can just resolve the issue with Do Dong-su, I think we have a real shot at winning the championship."
Lee Se-yeon was sincere. Since it was a hastily assembled team, she had many worries, but they were stronger than she had anticipated.
In particular, the synergy between Tae-hyun and Cain, whom Tae-hyun had brought along, was remarkable. She had thought Cain was just some lackey following Tae-hyun around, but when paired with him, Cain showed a much more powerful performance than expected.
"Was it that good?"
Tae-hyun felt a slight swell of pride. Normally, hearing people call him "strong" or "amazing" was so common that it didn't move him. But it was different coming from Lee Se-yeon. She was an opponent who had defeated him once, after all. A compliment from her felt special.
"Yeah. Especially that chain skill linkage. It was incredible."
Cain pulling the target in with his chains, and Tae-hyun unleashing explosive burst damage. It was a simple but terrifying combo. If caught, a player would be instantly eliminated, turning a 5v5 into a 5v4 right from the start.
"Cain would go wild with joy if he heard that."
"Well, other people aren't fools either, so they'll analyze today's match and come up with counters... but it shouldn't matter much."
"...?"
Tae-hyun tilted his head, not understanding what she meant.
"Because there's no way you used that without thinking. The combo you showed in today's practice match was just to deceive people, right? You have a different one saved for the actual tournament."
"...Of course!"
Of course, there was no such thing.
Tae-hyun felt a cold sweat break out on his back. I just used it without thinking!
Unlike Lee Se-yeon, Tae-hyun had no grand ambition to win this tournament. He had only been dragged here by her, so his resolve was simply to beat up anyone in his way and win.
So he had casually used his usual combo in the practice match... but Lee Se-yeon, who held him in high regard, had misunderstood on her own.
"I knew it. I also purposely held back the skills I plan to use in the main tournament."
"..."
The atmosphere was making it increasingly difficult to tell the truth! Tae-hyun decided he had better create a few new combos before the main tournament began.
"Then let's prepare for the next practice match."
"How many more matches do we have?"
"Three. I've scheduled three more. After that, you can do whatever you want. We have some time before the main tournament starts."
I should pay a visit to the Atali Kingdom.
He needed to claim his reward for subjugating the Sadiq Church. He had stopped a faction trying to assassinate the king and caught a traitor in the process.
"Great. Shall we get going then?"
Chairman Yoo couldn't bring himself to stand up even after the match ended. His palms were drenched in sweat. That was how intensely focused he had been.
Incredible!
It was Chairman Yoo's first time watching actual players engage in PVP. To him, the skills of the players fighting in the arena were awe-inspiring.
And among them, Tae-hyun was peerless.
I see why he's so popular...
It was frustrating, but he had to admit it. Down there in the arena, Tae-hyun was a star. Even among other outstanding players, people only had eyes for Tae-hyun and only chanted his name.
"...Mister, mister! Can you hear me?"
"Ah, oh? My apologies. What is it?"
"I'm going to go say hello to someone I know. Please hold our seats for a moment."
Even though it was just a practice match, the spectator seats were hard to come by. They had only managed to get seats late thanks to Ju Ga-yeon's connections!
"Understood."
While Yu Ji-soo and Ju Ga-yeon left to speak with their acquaintance, Chairman Yoo sat in a daze, lost in thought.
Watching the match just now made him want to do something. The battle had a certain quality that stirred a man's heart.
Should I rebuild the team under Yuseong Group? No, no... I threw such a fit back then... Hmmm...
During the previous pro-gaming boom, Chairman Yoo had lost his temper because of the Yuseong Group team's terrible performance.
- Spending money on a game that's basically child's play and not even getting proper results? Everyone who proposed this, write a letter of apology!
For him to suddenly turn around now and clear his throat, saying, "Ahem, a pro-gaming team... shall we try making one?" was a bit embarrassing.
There must be a way... there has to be...
As Chairman Yoo racked his brain, a voice drifted into his ears: "Popcorn! Get your popcorn here!"
"They even sell popcorn? It's just like real life," Chairman Yoo marveled. Selling popcorn in an arena like this!
"Oh? Aren't you that gentleman? The one who's close with Mr. Tae-hyun..."
"Who's close with that rascal?!" Chairman Yoo reacted reflexively.
The one who had spoken to him was Lee Da-bi.
Indeed. After playing one practice match, Tae-hyun had realized that letting such a golden opportunity go to waste would be foolish.
While the qualifiers and main tournament were hosted by MBS, nobody was hosting these practice matches!
- Go, Da-bi! Strip the pockets of everyone here!
- Those are the most moving words I've ever heard!
At Tae-hyun's resolute command, Lee Da-bi had been so touched she almost shed tears.
From admission fees to popcorn, the members of the Power Warrior Guild, who had rushed over in a hurry, were scraping up gold with fire in their eyes.
"Ahem. By the way, is it possible to meet Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Huh? Can't you just whisper him?"
"...That fellow blocked me."
"...I'll ask him right now. The match just ended, and it's break time anyway."
Indeed. When Chairman Yoo, who had been forced to train because of Tae-hyun, sent a barrage of angry whispers, a bothered Tae-hyun had simply blocked him.
Tae-hyun, who had just finished his first practice match, stepped out and headed toward the spectator stands.
While waiting, Lee Da-bi, feeling a bit sorry for Chairman Yoo, handed him a drink and some popcorn.
Come to think of it, hadn't they just left him behind in the dungeon after subjugating the Sadiq Church?
"Please, have some of this."
These were items made by Power Warrior Guild members who had relatively high cooking skills. They weren't legendary delicacies. Moreover, Chairman Yoo was a man who had tasted all kinds of gourmet food in the real world. Such food shouldn't have suited his refined palate, but...
It's delicious!
After suffering so much in the underground dungeon, rushing straight here, and sitting down, the drink and popcorn tasted heavenly!
A refreshing sensation washed down his throat, and the sweet and salty flavor delighted his tongue.
Chairman Yoo suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes. To think he would tear up over popcorn and a drink at his age!
"You are truly a kind soul...!"
"Hehe..." Lee Da-bi blushed shyly.
"But why are you with a wicked fellow like Kim Tae-hyun..."
"Sir. That wicked fellow is right behind you."
"...!"
Before he knew it, Tae-hyun had arrived.
"You rascal! How dare you block me?!"
"You kept sending curses, so I thought it was spam."
"Don't talk nonsense! There are things you can mistake and things you can't!"
Chairman Yoo tried to grab Tae-hyun by the collar, but Tae-hyun absolutely refused to be caught. He could have just let him grab him once, but Tae-hyun never let his guard down!
Chairman Yoo keenly realized that his skills were still lacking.
I thought I'd gotten quite strong... but this guy is just...!
"You left me behind?!"
"Well, Lee Se-yeon came to pester me, so... I forgot. Haha."
"Haha?! Is 'haha' going to solve this?!"
"So, what happened after that?"
Fuming with anger, Chairman Yoo poured out everything that had happened.
Tae-hyun tilted his head. "You leveled up, you met Ji-soo, isn't that all good?"
"If you say it like that...!"
Chairman Yoo choked on his words.
Yu Ji-soo and Ju Ga-yeon, who had gone to meet their acquaintance, were walking back from behind.
Unaware of this, Tae-hyun said casually, "By the way, sir, when do you plan on telling Ji-soo that you're her grandfather?"
"Hey, hey! Hey!!!"
"...?"
"HEY!!!!!"
It was a "HEY!" filled with desperate, raw emotion.
But it was already too late.
Yu Ji-soo, who had recognized Tae-hyun and was about to greet him happily, froze. Her mouth fell open.
Then, she pointed a trembling finger at Chairman Yoo.
"N-No way...!"
Chairman Yoo's face turned pale.